Time: 1:46 - 1:56 U.T.
Telescope: 102mm SCT
Magnification: 150x
Filter: #56 Green
Seeing: Fair to Good
NELM: Sunset - Bright Twilight
Temperature: +68 F (+20 C)
The above sketch shows the general appearance of Venus on this date. North is up; and preceding is to the left in this mirror-reversed view. The region in the neighborhood of the north cusp seemed to be a little brighter than the rest of the planet.
The subtleties of light and shade on Venus are roughly comparable to what one would see when examining a small section of an egg shell. When observing Venus it's not easy to tell exactly where the borders lie between regions of different shadings. Nevertheless, with experience it is possible to detect subtle variations within the Venusian atmosphere.
One of the joys of amateur astronomy is the acquisition of observing skills. Arguably, one might say that much, or even most of what an experienced observer sees when studying an object would go completely unnoticed by a beginner or by a much less experienced observer. If there were few challenges involved in this hobby I would have dropped out long ago.
After completing my sketch I tried using a violet filter. Under bright twilight with the 102mm telescope at 150x the violet filter was found to be too dense. Next I tried a variable polarizing filter. Unfortunately the seeing conditions deteriorated fairly rapidly, forcing an end to such experimentation.
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